


Coming Back From Being Green

by Majestic_Moonwolf



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:34:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21901045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Majestic_Moonwolf/pseuds/Majestic_Moonwolf
Summary: I know, it's a really short chapter. That's why it's called a prologue. It's like trailer for a story. G'day.
Relationships: Alice | Tilly/Robin | Margot, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan, Dorothy Gale/Red Riding Hood | Ruby, Mulan/Red Riding Hood | Ruby, Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue

Life hasn’t always been easy on me. It has been far from easy, to be honest with you. I was abandoned, abused… I never got what I wanted. And because of that, envy had taken a hold of me. All I wanted for years, was revenge. Revenge on the people who caused all my pain. Sure, there were some light moments in between the dark ones, but they were hardly helpful. What turned me around was when I had my daughter and when I made up with my sister. That’s when I wanted to prove that I could be good too. When I had to prove that I could be good too. Sure, that might sound weird, but I made friends and I wanted to help them, to protect them. I wanted to protect my daughter above all… So, I joined with the good side and took the opportunities that were given to me to prove to all the “heroes” that I too could find redemption. 

When another chance arrived, many years later, I took that as well. It was a… very unexpected guest that arrived at my door. Someone I hadn’t seen in years, someone I didn’t think would trust me, ever. Oh, and her girlfriend, who hated me with pretty much all she had I think. It might just be that that girlfriend saw me as her enemy number one. “What are you two doing here?” I asked them. “We… have come to ask you for your help,” Red said. “Me?” “Yes, you,” Dorothy said. “Well, things must be dire in Oz if you come to me for help.” Red nodded, “It’s ogres, they’re attacking Oz.” “Ogres in Oz? Sounds like something Glinda and the other two witches, what were their names again, can deal with.” “They’ve been captured,” Dorothy said. “Captured, the witches of the north, east and the south?” “That’s what I said, didn’t I? Yes, they have been captured.” I have to admit, that was quite satisfying to hear at first, but then I thought back of how they had treated me, way back when we first met. Yes, that’s what being good does to you, you start thinking of the good things people have done to you. “And now you want my help?” I turned to Red. “Why not go to Regina?” “Because you know Oz better than she does,” Red replied. “That’s true, but you don’t have to know Oz to defeat ogres.” “It helps if you know the land,” Red disagreed. “Now will you help us or not?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's a really short chapter. That's why it's called a prologue. It's like trailer for a story. G'day.


	2. You really think one witch is enough?

"So, you need me to lead the army against the ogres?" I asked Red and Dorothy, who were sitting on my couch with steaming cups of tea in their hands. Red nodded, "Yes." "And, you need me to lead you because?" "Because we know you have been watching the land," Dorothy said, "you were afraid of threats to your reign, so you sent out scouts in the form of flying monkeys, thanks to them you know the land better than most other people. Which means you also know the best hiding places." That was logic I couldn't argue with. "And you think the people of Oz will follow me? The Wicked Witch, who terrorized them for years?" Dorothy sighed, "They will if I say they can trust you." "Ah, but you don't even trust me yourself, do you? Then how can you convince them to trust me?" Dorothy shook her head, "I don't know. I haven't figure it all out yet. Look, it wasn't even my idea to come here, it was Red's." "Was it now?" I said as I turned to Red. "It was, yes," she admitted. "I honestly thought you'd go to Snow, don't you two always help each other with your problems?" "Snow... I didn't want to bother her, she and David are happy now, they're raising Neal, I can't come baring in and endanger their happiness." "And my happiness is not important I take it? I have a daughter that I love, should I just leave her alone to help you out?" Red looked down at her feet, "We need someone with magic. And... out of all the people with magic I know... you know Oz the best. Of course, if you don't want to help we'll just ask Regina." Somehow those words didn't fall all that well with me. I mean, sure, I love my sister, but... something about her saving the day again while I would be standing on the sidelines... No, I did not like the thought of that. "Oh no, I'll help you." Dorothy looked quite surprised when I said that, "You... you will?" "Yes, dear, that's what I just said, isn't it?" 

Red and Dorothy spent that night at my house, which made for a very surprised Robin and a slightly less surprised Alice, who were also staying the night at my house. "So, they came here all the way from Oz to ask you for help?" Robin asked me after I explained everything. "That's the gist of it, yes." "And they want you to lead an army of, what, Munchkins against an army of ogres." "Munchkins and whatever the other inhabitants of Oz are called, yes." "And they think they'll follow you if Dorothy says you can be trusted?" Alice joined in the questioning. "Well, they're not quite sure of that yet." "Mom, Dorothy hates you, don't you think it might be a trap?" It was then that I remembered telling Robin about my life in Oz, how I made Dorothy look like a very hateful person, which she actually was when it came to me, but for some reason that's mostly not very relevant when you're the villain. I sighed, "Robin, dear, I will be fine. If they wanted to set up a trap for me they wouldn't look so desperate. And Red probably wouldn't be here." "Why not?" "She's friends with Snow. And... I think Snow and I are... might just be friends in some way. What matters most is that Red knows I'm good now. They wouldn't set up a trap for a person who's good, now would they?" "Mom, I'm not sure, what if they want to hurt you for what you did to Oz?" "Then Regina will find out and she, the Charming gang and the one handed wonder will come to save me." Robin considered this for a while, then she turned to Alice, they stared at each other for a while and it was as if some sort of silent conversation was going on, then Alice nodded and Robin smiled. "We're coming with you." "What? No, absolutely not!" "Why not? We can fight!" "Robin, have you ever dealt with ogres before?" "No, have you?" "No, but I have dealt with much worse than ogres." "Like what?" "Rumplestiltskin." "Your mother has a point there," Alice said. "Thanks you, but I know, Alice." "You on the other hand have never dealt with anything that dangerous, which is why you're staying here to take care of the garden. Both of you, do you hear me?" "Yes mom," Robin said with a sigh. "We'll stay," Alice said. They looked at each other again and some instinct told me that they were lying. But I just let it slip for once. I'll talk to them tomorrow, before I leave, I thought. 

*

Things really got weird when we all sat down for dinner. Normally the girls and I would have a nice little chat about whatever they had been up to that day, but that night there was nothing but a sullen silence. Well, there was some talking, it just wasn't very interesting. I mean, it was mostly Red and Dorothy talking about war tactics and how they should send a message to Mulan who was keeping watch over Oz at the moment. She was also leading the Oz... Ozisch? Ozian? Ozanian? The armies from Oz for the time being. At least that was one good choice they had made. I had met Mulan once, when I was hanging around with the not so noble King Arthur, she is a good warrior. And she is definitely way more capable of leading those people against the ogres than me. After dinner we all went to do... well... something. That's one of the cons of the Enchanted forest. There's no electricity, so there's no TV or internet and because of that, there is not really that much to do when it comes to entertainment. So, we all did whatever it was we did that night, and then we eventually went to bed. At least there I had some sort of entertainment. A book and some candlelight to read it by. You know, being a sister to the Queen has its perks, like you might get yourself some books from the other land from time to time. Most books from the other land are way more interesting anyway. After reading a few pages I decided it was time to go to sleep, since I probably had to get up early the next morning to go save Oz with Red and... Dorothy. 

Of course, the next morning, I was mildly annoyed to find out I was right. Red knocked on my door before the sun was even up, telling me to wake up so we could leave for Oz. "You'd think people who aren't from Oz wouldn't care that much and would just go... live somewhere else." I whispered to myself. "But no, they're heroes and heroes always have to defend everything. It's like they have some kind of instinct that tells them to run headfirst into danger." I sighed and got ready to get out of bed and start what was going to be a really long day. Then I had breakfast with Wolfie and co. After which we left. There isn't really need to pack when you have magic and you can just... magic everything you need to your side, so at least the start of the day was easy. 

"So, how did you girls get here from Oz?" I asked them as we were walking through my garden. "we had a magic bean," Red replied. "A magic bean, as in just one magic bean?" "Uh... yes," Red said. "And how were you planning on going back to Oz then?" "Well, you're a witch, we thought you could summon one of those cyclones to get us back home," Dorothy said. "Well, I can't very well do that without a wand, can I?" "You... can't?" Dorothy asked. "No, I can't, I'll need a wand for that! Summoning a portal is a lot more complicated than like, summoning a fireball, or an apple or anything." "Oh. Do you know where to get a wand?" "Well, yes, I mean, the wand of the Rumples bitch of a mother is kept at my sister's castle, but that is not the important question. The important question is, will she let us use it?" "Well, she's your sister, right? She might help you," Dorothy said questioningly. "You don't sound all that sure of that," I said. "Don't you trust my sister?" "Well... she is your sister, I'm not sure if I can... you know, trust her interests. What if helping Oz is not important to her?" "It'll be fine," Red told Dorothy, "Regina is trustworthy, I am almost sure that she will help us." "Almost?" "Dorothy, it's going to be fine, okay? We just need to get to the castle and then we'll be in Oz before you know it." Dorothy sighed, "Fine, how are we getting to the castle?" I smiled, "Well, it's in the same land as us, I could easily get us there... if you don't mind me using a little magic here." Dorothy glared at me, "Just get us there without any of your tricks, witch, I don't feel like any detours that might turn me into shark bait or volcano fuel." "Tut tut, a little trust would do you good," I said. Then I raised my hand and green smoke engulfed the tree of us, and when the smoke disappeared we were standing in front of the castle. 

"Why did you not poof us in?" Dorothy asked me impatiently. "Well, we can't just barge in on the Queen like that, now can we? Well, I can and maybe Red can too, because she's such good friends with Snow, but you, Dorothy, you can't, so we're going to have to do it this way." I turned to the guards, "Good morning." "Good morning, Lady Zelena." Oh how I loved the sound of that, Lady Zelena, it does sound quite beautiful. "Is my sister awake yet?" "Yes, my Lady, she just finished breakfast." "Could you tell her I have business to discuss with her? Oh, and please tell her that I am here with Red and Dorothy Gale. That should make her a little more... interested in what it is that I have to say." One of the guards nodded and ran off. "They just... listen to you like that?" Dorothy asked in surprise. "I'm the sister of their Queen, what else did you expect? For them to scoff at me like you do?" This left Dorothy speechless for a while. I quite enjoyed the dumbfounded look on her face. 

We only had to wait a few minutes for the guard to come back. "Regina is waiting for you in the throne room. I take it you know the way? Or do you want me to escort you still, my Lady?" "I don't need you escorting me, Richard, you know very well that I know the way myself," I said as I walked off, leading the other two ladies into the castle. "Did that Richard guy just flirt with you?" Red asked me. "He is quite the flirt, yes," I told her. "How often do you come here that you know his name?" She followed up her first question. "At least once a week." "Wow." "Yes, Regina and I are quite close, maybe even closer than you and Snow. When is the last time you visited our dear Snow White?" "Uh... I... haven't seen her for quite a while." "Well, that's a sadness, I'm sure she must miss you. Maybe you should visit her soon." "Yeah, uh, maybe I should." "I would love to meet your best friend, Red, you really should introduce me to her," Dorothy said. "Yeah, I guess I should. Zelena, do you still keep in touch with her?" "Yeah, we talk to each other from time to time. Neal and Robin used to hang out with each other from time to time when they were younger, scouring the woods like they were Robin Hood sr. and Prince Charming. He likes to pretend he's fighting off monsters I heard, and he's trying to become a knight." Red laughed softly, "Yeah, that sounds like the son of Snow and David." Dorothy looked mildly confused, but there wasn't much time to elaborate, since we had arrived at the throne room. 

I walked into the room without knocking, knowing Regina was expecting us. She seemed to be mildly surprised to actually see Dorothy Gale there with me. "Yeah, I know what you're thinking. What in the world could move your sister to travel with the person who despises her the most?" Regina smiled slightly, "It is indeed quite confusing." Her face turned serious, "You said you had urgent business with me, sister. I take it it has something to do with them?" She said as she looked at Red and Dorothy. "It does indeed." Then Dorothy stepped forward, "Oz is under attack, we need a wand to get there so we can fight the ogres." Regina looked at her, clearly unimpressed by what Dorothy thought was a show of bravery. "I'm sorry, did I ask you something?" I smiled, knowing Regina was on my side made this so much more fun. Dorothy had the same dumbfounded look on her face as she had at the castle gates. "I did not, now please let me talk to my sister. Zelena?" "Those two were standing at my door yesterday. They told me Oz is being attacked by ogres." "Ogres you say?" "Yes, and since the other witched have been caught... or so they say, they need my help to defend it." "They think one witch could... turn a battle against ogres?" "It might be possible." "Yes, but it will be hard." "We don't need her to do all the work," Red joined in the conversation. "Oz has armies." Regina considered that for a while, "Armies made up of Munchkins and the like? How well can they fight?" Dorothy looked surprised that Regina hadn't told Red to shut up. Which was quite hilarious. Red sighed, "Well, they're not as strong as humans. We only have a few of those in our armies. And one werewolf of course, but that only works three days a month." Regina shook her head, "No... that won't do..." "What do you mean, that won't do?" Dorothy asked. "I think, "That won't do" is quite clear on itself, isn't it? It means it's not enough," Regina explained. "Don't you have any more friends whom you can ask for help?" Dorothy looked to Red. Red sighed, "I might know a certain Queen... I'm not sure how her lands are doing now though." "Just... hit her up, send her a message, maybe she's willing to help." Red nodded, "That's a good idea." "And maybe get yourself a Snow and a Charming... and a few more witches." "We really should, shouldn't we?" "Yeah, you should," I said, knowing full well no witch can take on an army of ogres alone, not with the army of weak Ozlings they had back there. "Well, if you need me, you know where to find me," Regina said. "But first you should go ask your other friends for help. You really need someone who's better at planning back there in Oz." 

Before I could leave, Regina asked me to stay. Red and Dorothy moved on, probably discussing a way to get to Red's friend soon, I wondered who it was, but I knew they would come back for me, no matter how much Dorothy despised me. 

"So, you're going back to Oz, huh?" I turned to face my sister, who was now standing in front of me, like normal person. It was that moment I knew this was going to be a sister/sister conversation and not a Queen/subject conversation. It usually was a sister/sister conversation between me and Regina anyway, even when there were others around. If it looked any different to others it was usually an act. "That's the plan, yes." "With Dorothy?" I could hear the doubt in her voice. I sighed, "It sounds like madness, I know, but... Regina... I can't let the land in which I grew up be taken over by ogres." "I thought you hated Oz?" "Well, I do... but... it's a part of me... it's..." I sighed again. "It's hard to explain, Regina. Oz is where I spent most of my life, it's where I learned about you, about the curse, about my magic... It's like... how would you feel if the old castle where you used to live with mother and your father would be burned down?" She glanced downward for a few seconds, then she looked me in the eyes again, "I wouldn't like that... despite that of the bad memories I have of that place." "So, you understand?" "Partly, yes. You're sure it's not a trap?" "Oh please, if it were a trap the witches would have come for me." "Or not, maybe they are waiting for you there, they'll catch you unawares because you think they're captured." I hadn't thought about that option yet. "Hmmm?" "You really think Red would lie?" "Maybe, she doesn't know all that much about you being good yet. She and Snow might have sent each other a few letters, but do you really think she trusts you?" That stung, "Of course she doesn't," I said softly, "It's almost impossibly hard for me to gain someone's trust, isn't it? It's just you, Robin and maybe Alice." "Snow and Charming trusts you, and I'm pretty sure Emma trusts you as well." "Yeah right." Regina smiled softly, "Look, I know it's hard, I've been there too. It'll get easier. The more good you do, the more people will trust you." "I've done quite a lot of good already, but it's always you and your friends who get most of the credit." "Maybe you should tell people you hit the Black Fairy with a car." Despite how I was feeling, that made me chuckle, "Well, she did deserve it." Regina sighed, "Look, Zelena, I totally understand how you're feeling. I used to not get much credit in the begin as well. It was always Emma and her parents, but look at where I am now. People trust me enough to be their Queen. You can earn hat trust just as well as I did. I know this is going to sound really annoying, but you just gotta keep trying." "This almost sounds like a Snow White "hope speech"." Regina smiled, "It does, doesn't it, ugh, never thought I'd go down that rabbit hole. But what I said is true, you just gotta keep trying." 

Red and Dorothy sure kept us waiting long enough. Regina and I had just sat down for lunch when they came barging back in with the whole Charming gang and their mascot, the One Handed Wonder. "Sure, come in, don't bother knocking," Regina said as they walked into the room. "We heard Oz needed help," Snow replied. "So we came here as soon as we could." "I see you brought the whole gang," I commented. "You need as many fighters as you can get, don't you?" Charming said. "Well, you're not exactly much?" I replied as Henry walked over to Regina to hug her and greet her with a "Hi mom". "Well, that's why we sent word to another friend," Snow explained. "The friend Red meant to call on." "Ah, yes, this Queen, whoever she may be." "Queen Merida," Red said. "That's the Queen we asked for help." "Ah, Merida, with the messy hair and the thick accent?" I asked. "That's the one." "And you think she'll come?" "Well... I hope she does." "We told her to meet us in Oz, at... well, is it still your castle?" Snow said. "You told her to meet us in the middle of the land?" "Yes. The ogres should still be at the edge." "Still, how is she going to get around the ogres with a whole army at her back? Also, how is she even going to get to Oz?" "We... included some magic beans with the letter." "Magic beans, I thought there weren't any of them left," I said in disbelief. "A friend of ours managed to grow some," Charming explained. "A friend of yours?" "His name is... well, we call him Tiny." "Tiny?" "He's a giant." "Ah, I see, it's an ironic nickname." "Well, actually he is quite small for a giant." "Aye, but he's still big enough to keep a human captive," Killian mumbled. "He let you go," Emma said. "Eventually, yes." "Hey, it was my idea, I just needed a head start on you." "It certainly wasn't one of your nicest ideas." "Save the memories for later," Regina interrupted. "We got more important things to discuss. Like how we're going to deal with those ogres in Oz." Emma nodded. Hook agreed by silently sitting down at the lunch table and helping himself to some bread. Regina rolled her eyes and invited the rest to sit down. 

"So, how are we going to deal with the ogres?" Henry said, asking the question none of us actually wanted to ask because it seemed like no one really had an answer. "Well... Maybe... maybe we could lure them into a trap," Snow said. "This is going to sound crazy, but we're going to need to send people into their camps, to lure them away from where they have the advantage, we need to lure them to some place where we have the advantage over them so we can beat them." "And who do you propose we send in?" Regina asked. "Well... you, Zelena and Emma. You three have magic, you're least likely to be caught." "You forgot they caught the other witches," I brought up. Snow sighed, "I know... but... I like to believe you'll be more careful than them." I sighed, "It's the safest option we have, isn't it?" "I'm afraid so," Snow said with a glance towards Emma. Of course she didn't like the idea either, even though it was her own. It would bring her daughter in a lot of danger. "Besides, I also believe you're all stronger than those three witches." Emma nodded, "Sure, we can do that. Where do we need to lead them?" "There's a valley west of the Emerald city," I brought up, "If the army would wait them out on the sides of the valley... we would have an advantage point." Everyone looked at me in surprise. "What? This is why I'm here, right? Because I know Oz?" Red smiled, "And you said it wasn't important to know the land." "O, don't be so self-satisfied and just agree with me, will you?" Red was still smiling when Snow said, "That is a very good idea, thank you, Zelena. We'll wait them out there, at the edges of the valley." "And once we get them there, we'll take them all out, preferably with long distance weapons," Charming continued. "That could work," Dorothy mused. "But... are you sure something so simple... could actually be the solution to our trouble?" "I guess we'll only find out by putting it into play," I replied. Dorothy nodded, looking very unsure, "Yes, I guess." 

"Well, not that that has been... sort of talked through, how about we have lunch?" Regina said. "Already one step ahead of you, love," Hook replied. Seriously, why does that man call almost every woman "Love"? I wondered. Regina just told him to shut up with glance, so he grabbed himself some more bread. We all ate, we talked with each other and caught up with each other. Except for Dorothy, who was, for once, a silent as the plain boring mouse she had always kind of resembled to me. And I can't believe what I did next. I walked up to her and asked her, "Nervous for what's about to come?" "Huh?" "You're not eating. You should eat." "Yeah... I should," she promptly took a bite of a piece of bread, chewed some and swallowed. "Now you're just trying to look tough." She scoffed, "Why would I try to look tough in front of you?" "Well... you have your doubts about the plan, because you think it seems to simple. You're afraid the ogres will figure out it's a trap and they'll still kill us, so now, you try to act tough in front of someone who's much more powerful than you. I don't know why you're doing it, you should ask yourself that question." "Are you saying I'm scared?" "I'm not saying anything. But... if that's what you conclude from my words, than maybe you should ask yourself if you are." "I'm not." "Good, we can't use people who are scared in a fight against ogres." "No, we can't." "And we can't really use nervous either. So, here's some advice from me to you. If you want to show the people of Oz that you're really as brave as they think you are... as you pretend to be... get over it. Cause if they see that you're scared, ah, no, don't interrupt me, I can see it in your eyes, if they see that you're scared, almost too scared to fight even, for which I probably can't blame you, since you have never dealt with ogres before... I would advise you to get over it. It's the only thing you can do to keep the faith and very important to you, "the love" of the people of Oz." "I don't need any of your advice, witch." I shrugged, "Fine, then don't. Maybe they'll see you for who you are then. Just a weak human, without any special powers who isn't fit to actually protect them." She glared at me and I smiled at her. Then I turned my back to her and took my place at the table again to have lunch with the others. If you don't want to see me as someone who can be nice, you don't deserve me being nice towards you, Dorothy, I thought as I bit into an apple. 

That night we all stayed at the castle. "To make sure Merida has received the message," Dorothy told us. Of course she would never tell us the truth. That she was hesitant to go back because she was scared. I mean, sure, it made sense to wait a little longer, but it was clear to see in her eyes. She was afraid of the ogres. I guess you can't really blame someone who had never dealt with ogres before, or anyone who has dealt with ogres before, but she sure was the most on edge of us all. Even Henry seemed more relaxed, and he was the youngest of our group. I wasn't sure if he would come along to fight, I mean, he sure was old enough, but I knew Regina and Emma wouldn't really like the idea of Henry fighting ogres. I mean, Henry wasn't exactly a knight. Then again, you didn't need to be knight to fire an arrow at an ogre. 

I have to admit, my sleep that night wasn't as easy as it usually was. I kept dreaming about Robin and Alice getting themselves in danger. Those kind of dreams are far from nice. After I woke up from my third bad dream I decided to visit the castle garden. There I was surprised to find Snow. "Can't sleep?" I asked her. She turned to me, "Hey. No, I uh... got a little trouble sleeping." "What's keeping you up?" Snow sighed, "Well... everything is... was going great, and now suddenly this comes along... my family... my friends... we're all putting our lives on the line again." "Are you getting tired of being a hero?" "No, I... I want to be a hero... I just... you know, sometimes I just wish I didn't have to be, and especially not like this." "I see." "So, what's keeping you up?" "It's... Robin and Alice. I just... feel like they're planning to do something stupid." "You're worried..." "Yes." "What do you think they'll do?" "I'm afraid they'll follow us." Snow nodded, "You want to keep them safe, you want to keep them away from all this danger, all this craziness. I get that." I smiled, "Yeah, I thought you would." "It's probably because we're both mothers." "That makes sense." We stood there for a while, under Regina's apple tree. And somehow, just standing there together felt kind of... reassuring. Maybe that's just some weird effect the Charmings have. Eventually we both felt enough at rest to go back to bed and to go back to sleep, which was good, because the next day was going to be a... interesting day.


End file.
